The present invention generally relates to a container and, more particularly, to a “spill-proof” container.
Spill-proof containers marketed primarily for use by children are generally known. Such containers are typically designed for use with liquids such as milk and juice. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 1,509,734 to Langley and U.S. Pat. No. 2,414,697 to Pettersson. The Langley patent discloses a drinking cup having an outer and an inner cup body, wherein the inner cup body is much more shallow than the outer cup body and fits in snug, sliding relation within the outer cup body. The inner cup body has holes in a peripheral wall thereof near a base thereof. When the drinking cup is tipped, liquid held in the outer cup body is able to flow into the inner cup body through one of the holes, wherein the liquid is accessible to a child using the drinking cup.
The Pettersson patent discloses a drinking cup having a generally cylindrical body and a threaded, removable lid having a central depending cavity that terminates at a point above a bottom of the cup and an arcuate opening adjacent a periphery thereof. Liquid may be poured into the drinking cup through the central depending cavity. A user may access the liquid in the drinking cup through the opening in the lid.
Spill-proof containers are also needed for solid snack-type food items such as crackers, cereal and the like. Containers for such snack-type food items are generally known. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,174 to Williams and U.S. Pat. No. 6,656,514 to Tubbs. The Williams patent discloses a container having a first lid that covers a substantial portion of an interior of the container and that includes a tubular member that extends through downwardly into the interior of the container without reaching a bottom of the container and extends slightly upward above the first lid. The tubular member serves as a conduit allowing a user to access the interior of the container when the first lid is fitted onto the container. A second lid fits over the tubular member. A user may remove the second lid and access foodstuff located in the interior of the container via the tubular member.
The Tubbs patent discloses a container having a spill-proof lid comprising generally triangular, flexible, resilient flaps that extend in a generally radial direction inwardly from a rim of the lid. The flaps are configured to meet or overlap one another. When a user presses a hand through the flaps, the flaps bend toward an interior of the container to allow a user's hand to pass there through but return to their original position when the user's hand is removed there from. The lid further comprises a channel having openings there through adjacent the rim. Food crumbs dropped on the lid thereby may be returned to the interior of the container through the openings of the channel.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2005/0242100 A1 to Shepard, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a spill-proof container for snack-type food items. The spill-proof container includes a bowl and a support member that receives and supports the bowl. The bowls includes a counterweight attached thereto that acts to self-right the bowl regardless of the orientation of the support member. The container allows a user complete access to an interior of the bowl, i.e., a lid does not completely or partially obstruct the user's access or visibility to the interior of the bowl. Moreover, the container of Shepard does not utilize a lid to enhance the spill-proof characteristic of the container.
While the container of Shepard is fit for its intended purpose, the container does have a drawback. The motion of the container is not fluid because of a frictional, sliding contact between the walls of the bowl and the support member. At least one aspect of the present invention overcomes this drawback of the Shepard container by eliminating the frictional, sliding contact between the walls of a bowl and a support member of a spill-proof container assembly, thereby providing smooth, fluid movement.